A memoir about former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) time in office is to be published on Thursday, in which Ma touts his national development achievements and recognizes his mistakes during his eight years as president from 2008 to 2016.
The memoir, published by Taipei-based Commonwealth Publishing Co, was written by Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), who was the Presidential Office deputy secretary-general during the Ma administration, and is based on Ma’s oral accounts.
In the preface, Ma said that he was lucky to be elected twice, showing the trust of Taiwanese.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Since leaving office, he said that he has faced both enthusiastic sympathy and serious criticism from the public while visiting places across the nation, which prompted him to record what he experienced during his presidency as a form of self-reflection, and to assume responsibility for history.
However, he can say with a clear conscience that he was always a president with integrity, who loved his people and was hard-working, Ma said.
“However, there was indeed room for improvement in the drafting and implementation of some [of my] policies. I shall shoulder the criticism of the people,” he said in the book, adding that one can only stick their chest out again after they bow in humility.
Ma said the signing of accords with Japan and the Philippines settling fishery disputes that had existed for more than four decades was one of the most satisfactory things he achieved during his presidency.
The most regrettable thing during his presidency was the Sunflower movement of 2014, which resulted in the cross-strait service trade agreement being shelved, greatly jeopardizing Taiwan’s economic development, he said.
The book also contains a chapter about the “judicial persecution” he has faced after leaving the Presidential Office, as well as one that talks about his interactions with his predecessors and successor.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS